| Tullycraft | |
|---|---|
Tullycraft performing in Olympia, WA. in 2007. |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington |
| Genres | Indie pop Twee |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Magic Marker Records, Darla, Harriet Records, Little Teddy, Cher Doll |
| Associated acts | Crayon, Six Cents and Natalie, Rizzo |
| Website | www.tullycraftnation.com |
| Members | |
| Sean Tollefson, Jeff Fell, Chris Munford, Jenny Mears, Corianton Hale | |
| Past members | |
| Gary Miklusek, Harold Hollingsworth | |
Tullycraft is an indie pop band from Seattle, Washington who formed in 1995. They have been associated with the genre of twee, in fact, they are considered to be one of the forefathers of the American twee pop movement alongside Black Tambourine, Tiger Trap, Lois, Honeybunch, and Beat Happening. They are renowned for their DIY ethic, only releasing albums on independently owned and operated record labels.
Contents |
The band's original line-up was Jeff Fell (drums), Sean Tollefson (bass/vocals), and Gary Miklusek (guitar/vocals).
Prior to forming Tullycraft, both Tollefson & Fell played in the band Crayon in Bellingham, Washington and Miklusek played in the band Wimp Factor 14 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They met each other while their respective bands were on tour together.
On February 28, 1995 Tullycraft played their first show at ReBar, a small club in Seattle. Joining them on the bill that evening were the bands Incredible Force of Junior and Sno*boy. Eventually, both Chris Munford (from Incredible Force of Junior) and Harold Hollingsworth (from Sno*boy) would join the group.[1]
In October 1995 the band recorded four songs with producer Pat Maley at Yoyo Studios in Olympia, Washington. The recording session produced a debut single released on Harriet Records and an instant indiepop classic "Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend’s Too Stupid To Know About".[2]
In 1996 the band released their full length debut, Old Traditions, New Standards on Harriet Records. The album included the singles "Superboy & Supergirl" and "Josie". The following year the band released a series of 7" singles on labels in Japan, England, Germany, and the U.S. They built up a large following by touring extensively all over the United States during what many might argue was the last gasp of the truly independent underground, leaving new bands, promoters, zines and record labels to sprout up in their wake.
Chris Munford officially joined Tullycraft in 1998 after a few guest appearances with the group.[3] Munford contributed keyboards, guitar and recording engineer to the band's second full length album, City of Subarus, released on Cher Doll Records that same year. The entire album was recorded in a house that Munford, Miklusek and Fell rented near the University of Washington in Seattle.
Guitarist and founding member, Gary Miklusek decided to leave the group after a U.S. tour for the City of Subarus album. His last appearance with the band was at the San Francisco Popfest in 1999.[4] After the departure of Miklusek, the band's future was unclear. During the break a twenty-two track singles, b-sides and rarities compilation simply titled The Singles was released on Darla Records in late 1999.
Following a hiatus that lasted most of 2000, the band started the writing process for what would become their third full length album, Beat Surf Fun. Recording commenced in 2001 at a rehearsal space in Ballard, Washington. Harold Hollingsworth was recruited to take over lead guitar duties. Hollingsworth had played with the band briefly in 1997 on a U.S. tour.
In September 2001, Tullycraft was featured alongside Sleater-Kinney, Henry's Dress, Dub Narcotic Sound System, Unwound and The Make-Up in the Justin Mitchell music documentary Songs for Cassavetes.
The third album, Beat Surf Fun was released on Magic Marker Records in 2002. The album included the singles "Wild Bikini" and "Twee". In 2003, Tullycraft played shows in England, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands.
In 2004, the band began working on what would be their fourth full length album, Disenchanted Hearts Unite. Just prior to the album's release, guitarist Harold Hollingsworth left the band.
On May 3, 2005 Disenchanted Hearts Unite was released on Magic Marker Records. The band re-emerged with a new line-up that included Corianton Hale (lead guitar) and Jenny Mears (vocals). The album was met with a flurry of wonderful reviews and quickly became a fan favorite. Many consider the album to be the band's finest.[5] Although Tullycraft didn't embark on a full U.S. tour to promote Disenchanted Hearts Unite, they did play a number of universities, the occasional pop festival, and the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas in 2006 and 2007.[6]
On October 23, 2007 the fifth full length album, Every Scene Needs A Center was released on Magic Marker Records. The band spent over a year working on the album, splitting time between their own recording studio and Soundhouse Studio in Seattle, WA. The album included the singles "The Punks Are Writing Love Songs" and "Georgette Plays A Goth."
On March 9, 2009 the band announced on their blog that they had "decided to take a step back from playing live shows" and would only be performing live on a couple more occasions before taking a "self-imposed hiatus." [7]
On May 23, 2009 Tullycraft played in San Francisco, CA as part of the SF Popfest. This was billed as the last show the band would play before taking a break from live performances.
In 2003 a Tullycraft tribute album titled, First String Teenage High: The Songs of Tullycraft Played By People Who Aren't was released on AAJ/Bumblebear Records. This record was digitally re-released by Unchikun Records in July 2009.
On September 14, 2010 Wish I'd Kept A Scrapbook: A Tribute to Tullycraft was released on Unchikun Records. This second tribute album featured 21 bands/artists covering Tullycraft songs.
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1996 | Old Traditions, New Standards | Harriet Records (CD) / Little Teddy Recordings (LP) |
| 1998 | City of Subarus | Cher Doll Records (LP/CD) |
| 1999 | The Singles (singles, b-sides and rarities compilation) | Darla Records (CD) |
| 2002 | Beat Surf Fun | Magic Marker Records (CD) / Little Teddy Recordings (LP/CD) |
| 2005 | Disenchanted Hearts Unite | Magic Marker Records (CD) / Little Teddy Recordings (LP/CD) |
| 2007 | Every Scene Needs a Center | Magic Marker Records (CD) |
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1995 | True Blue 7” | Harriet Records |
| 1995 | Bailey Park 7” | Cher Doll Records |
| 1995 | The Pilot split 7” EP | Papercut Records |
| 1996 | 1st String Teenage High 7” EP (Germany) | Little Teddy Recordings |
| 1996 | Glove Puppet split 7” EP | Glove Puppet |
| 1996 | Josie 7” (UK) | Wurlitzer Jukebox Records |
| 1997 | Tullycraft / Bunnygrunt split 7” EP | KittyBoo Records |
| 1997 | Tullycraft / Rizzo split 7” | Harriet Records |
| 1997 | Tullycraft / Avocado Baby split 7” (Japan) | 100 Guitar Mania Records |
| 2002 | Twee 7” (Germany) | Little Teddy Recordings |
| 2005 | Our Days In Kansas 7” (Germany) | Little Teddy Recordings |
| 2008 | Tullycraft /The Smittens split 7” | HHBTM Records |
Indiepages.com old reviews of several Tullycraft albums http://www.shelflife.com/auto/recs.html